Phantoms Without Time
by AnyaZeAwesomeGlaceon
Summary: Something lurks deep in the forest Hide before it eats you up! Instead of venturing far, stay close Or else not a trace would be found Never venture into the forest, you will be eaten
1. I- The Mysterious Cabin

**Phantoms Witho****ut Time**

**Rating: T for now. Dun know if I'm going to include romance. If I ****am, it's going to be albatross cause OTP**

**Disclaimer: I suck so only this belongs to me. Senyuu and its characters belongs to someone else who isn't me.**

**Warning: None (for now wahahahaha) I'll update warning list as I go along**

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**Chapter I: The Mysterious Cabin**

_Something lurks deep in the forest_  
_Hide before it eats you up!_  
_Instead of venturing far, stay close_  
_Or else not a trace would be found._  
_Never venture into the forest, you will surely be eaten!_

The children were running around, playing as children enjoyed to do in their spare time, without a care in the world. These children played well known childhood games such as tag, hide and seek, jump rope, and freeze tag; the neighboring forest was never involved in their games. The children stopped playing once they noticed a teenage boy approach them, one with light brown hair and brown eyes the color of chocolate.

"Alba!" they greeted cheerful, many excitedly. The bravest one asked, "Do you want to play with us?"

The teen shook his head, "Not today, I'm going in the forest to take a stroll."

The child gasped, "Alba, don't! You know that a monster lives deep in that forest, you could be eaten!" The children then began to speak all at once, all of them opposed to the idea if Alba adventuring out into the infamous forest alone.

Alba simply chuckled, "It's okay, I can handle something like the forest, I'm going to be a hero someday remember?"

With that, Alba strolled past the children, heading towards the forest.

~.~

The forest was really peaceful during the day. Leaves high up in the sky glowed with the sunlight that managed to filter through the leafy roof of the forest. Not a path was in sight as no one had ventured out unto the forest, as far as Alba knows. No clear definite path that could be followed and rows among rows of trees that looked the same to the untrained eye could easily make anyone lost, prompting concerned parents to creating stories of a monster lurking deep in the forest to discourage kids from wandering in and getting lost. At least, that's what Alba managed to come up with as he discovered that if one direction was taken, the forest was a serene place to walk.

A sudden movement startled Alba, causing him to jump in surprise, only to watch the retreating back of a dear. He heaved a sigh of relief, telling himself that it could have been a bear, or some other dangerous creature. When his sight fell back to straight ahead, he noticed a huge black dog- easily two feet tall- sniffing the path in front of him. Alba froze, studying the dog in case he decides to attack. The dog briefly looked up and locked what appeared to be red eyes with Alba's light brown, before he sprinted in the direction of the deer. A gun fired, the loud shot echoing throughout the forest at the same time flocks of birds flew away from a far off area.

Without thinking, Alba ran in the same direction of the large black dog, away from the gun shots. It wasn't until he saw the dog barking at a tree to frighten birds that he realized that some men from his village enjoyed going out hunting and it wasn't uncommon for them to bring along their dogs to assist them.

Groaning and kicking some dirt in the air, Alba knew that he was now lost and going back would be difficult for Alba had no landmarks to navigate his way back out of the forest. He decided to go back the way he came, hoping he could manage to find where he originally came from.

After wandering for a bit, he ran into the same dog yet again. He was certain it was the same one from before, as he had yet to run into any other dog so far. Like the first time he saw the dog, the black dog decided to stop in a path bathed in sunlight, he appeared to enjoy the sunlight- as if he had been separated from it for a period of time. This time, the massive dog laid on the path; determined to prevent Alba from passing. He stood up and trotted away, only to turn back and bark at Alba. Feeling highly confused, Alba followed the dog; the two walking in silence. Alba wasn't sure how long they walked, but they ended up in a clearing.

The clearing was wide, the open downpour of sunlight was nearly blinding. Grass and the random flowers swaying was the only sign of a breeze flowing. No animal was visible in the clearing, probably due to the vulnerability animals would have when they revealed themselves in the open. Alba scanned the clearing and immediately noticed a cabin towards the back of the clearing; the dog had disappeared with Alba noticing, as if he was never with Alba in the first place.

Upon closer inspection, the cabin appeared to have been abandoned long ago. Vines creep along the cabin walls, shifting as they climbed higher and higher on the walls. Alba expected the windows to be broken, the door to give way with a single kick. Instead the windows were covered with crossing bars, preventing even the slightest touch. The door was even blockaded, as Alba noticed the door didn't even budge in the slightest- as if the door was locked. Alba wondered why the cabin would be blocked from access if it was abandoned. Could it be that something valuable or horrible was stored here? Nerves fired up, Alba left the clearing in high spirits, feeling eager to break the mystery of the cabin.

~.~

Everyday for the past week Alba returned to the cabin with help from the massive dog that always appeared to lead him to the cabin. Used to the black dog disappearing as soon as they would arrive in the clearing, he would try to figure out a way to enter the cabin. He tried to shatter the window - made impossible by the crossing bars - break the door open - impossible as something was clearly blocking the door. To a normal person, they would have given up and continue on with their lives, but not Alba. He was determined to solve the mystery of the cabin. Several failed attempts later, he came up with a solution to the problem- break the door down. With this solution in mind, Alba asked his mother if he could borrow their ax once he returned home.

"Why do you want to borrow the ax, dear?" Alba's mother asked.

Alba easily replied, "There's something in the forest that I want to chop down, so can I borrow it? I promise I'll return it."

Alba's mom pursed her lips in concern then decided, "All right you can go get it. It's in the shed. Be careful okay? I don't want you coming home all injured from your carelessness."

"Alright, alright, I'll be careful. Thanks mom see you soon!"

With that Alba grabbed the ax from the shed they have in the back of their house and lugged it all the way back to the cabin where he struggled to lift it. As soon as he could lift it without immediately sinking back to the ground, he brought it to the door. The lack of force going into the strike prevented the ax from sinking into the door, rather it mostly bounced from the wood. Again and again he struck at the door, only causing a few scratched on the door at best. Allowing the ax to drop on the floor, Alba sank against the stubborn door, exhaustion taking over his body. Breathing heavily, he decided to rest until he could once again pick up the ax and attempt once again to break the door down.

The failure of his first attempt only made Alba more determined to accomplish his goal, as he is not one to give up so easily. Picking up the ax, and slamming it repeatedly against the door, Alba refused to give up; he couldn't give up, not now, not ever. With this thought, Alba retreated for the day when the sun began to set, retreating because he was going to come back with renewed determination.

As the days wore on, Alba gradually, very slowly, improved his strength. At first, he was able to lift the ax long enough to strike it down on the door, the next he was able to do a couple more strikes before needing to rest. On this particular day, weeks since he first brought the ax along, he was able to carry the ax all the way from his house to the cabin and was able to land more strikes then ever before. The door was now heavily damaged, deep gashes was now visible- some even appeared to have penetrated through the door itself.

Feeling a surge of pride, determination, and optimism, Alba put all of this strength into the first swing, then the second, then the third until large penetrations ran nearly the entire length of the door. In his excitement, Alba dropped the ax on the floor, the heavy tool landing on the floor with an audible thud. He raised his leg and kicked at the door with as much force he could possibly apply, and with several kicks, the door finally gave in. Before Alba could savor his victory, a massive force bust from the cabin, tackling him onto the floor. The only thing visible to Alba was a head covered in black.

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**A/N: What up peeps? I'm here with what is possibly the best Senyuu fanfic in the history of evaaahhhh! Hahahaha just kidding this is definitely not the best, but despite all of its (many, many, many) flaws, I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. I hope that I got you all pumped up to read more throughout the chapter and excited for the next chapter! But if not, it doesn't matter cause I'm definitely am! If you are looking forward to the next chapter, I hope you have high patience because I suck at updating xD I have nothing else to say so I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review because it helps me become a better writer. Until next time ciao~**

**By the way, bonus points to whoever can say what is special about the poem I wrote on the top**


	2. II - The Isolationist and the Hero

**Chapter II: The Isolationist and the Hero**

When Alba crawled out from under his unknown assailant, he saw that it was a guy- one a few years older than Alba, with messy black hair, piercing red eyes, and pale skin. Taken completely by surprise, Alba was too stunned to move while the male simply got up and dusted himself.

"Oh, It's just a kid," he stated, like how one would state that the sky was blue. Then he landed a powerful punch on Alba's stomach.

Alba shakily got up, groaning and holding his stomach. He yelled at the male, "Hey! Why did you punch me for?"

The male smirked, "No reason."

"What do you mean 'no reason'? You have to have a reason to do something!"

"Fine, I wanted to stretch out my muscles. Hadn't properly stretched myself out in a long time, happy?"

"No, I'm not happy! That is not how you stretch! Have you ever heard of proper stretches, the ones designed to, oh I don't know, stretch your muscles?"

"Oh I have. I just prefer punching to stretching."

"Well I don't! And other people don't either!"

The male looked around, "Man, I've forgotten how the outside world looks. The windows are covered with a black sheet and I can't open the door or the windows to save my life. How did you open it?"

Bewildered by the change in subject, Alba responded, "I, um, brought an ax with me and stuck at the door. What you mean you forgot what that outside looks like? Were you trapped in there?"

"You must have a tiny brain if you barely figured out I was trapped in that cottage. I suppose that since you 'saved' me, I would have to say 'thank you great hero, how can I ever repay you?' or whatever damsels in distress say. But since I am not a damsel, nor was I in distress, I will simply call you Hero. Now Hero, what will you do now?"

Alba was liking this guy less and less. The first thing he done upon meeting Alba was attack him _and_ punch him in the gut, and now he revealed himself to be horribly sarcastic. Just Alba's luck. "What's your name?" he asked, still wanting to talk to the guy.

The man raised his eyebrow, "Call me 'Ross'."

"Okay Ross, now that you're free, what are you going to do?"

Alba got his answer when Ross turned on his heel and swaggered back in the cabin. Flabbergasted, Alba went in after him.

The inside of the cabin was a bit nicer than the outside. The cabin was only one room, a tiny kitchen- attached to the only room on the right side- only consisting of cabinets and a small stove. On the opposite side a bed and a small bedside dresser that most likely contained Ross' clothing was the only furniture that decorates the main room. Along the back wall broken furniture were piled up; some pieces so small, Alba wasn't sure what they used to be. The only part of the back wall that wasn't piled with wooden shards was a door that was next to the kitchen- even the second door located near the bed was covered in the wooden shards.

"You live here?" Alba asked, walking in the cabin and looking around.

"Oh you're still here, Hero? Do you know it's rude to enter another person's house without asking?"

"Oh, right, sorry." Alba stepped out of the tiny cabin and asked, "Can I come in?"

"No. You can leave now."

"You are really going to continue to say here?"

"Wow you really have a small brain if you can't process these things."

"Hey! I'm just asking a question! There is no need to be so mean about it."

"There is no need to be so stupid about it."

"Are you mocking me?"

"No."

"You totally are!"

"Will you get out of here? I would slam the door in your face, but I have no door."

"Yeah sorry about that, I thought nobody lived here." Before anything could be done, Alba's face connect with a rather large shard of wood, Ross' hand coming down to his side. "Ow! What was that for?" Alba yelped.

"I couldn't slam the door in your face so I settled for throwing a piece of wood at you as a replacement."

"That was absolutely unnecessary." Alba complained, holding his hurting cheek. With that, Alba spun around on his heel and headed back to his village.

~.~

The next day, Alba found himself in front of the cabin. It looked the same as it had before, only that the door was poorly held together with duck tape. As soon as Alba knocked on the door, it fell to the ground with a great bang.

"Oh you're here again, Hero." Ross pointed out.

"Yeah I came back." Alba paused for a bit then added wearily, "Are you going to hit me?"

"Why would I tell you if I am going to hit you?"

Ross was sitting on his bed, watching Alba stand behind the door frame. Alba had no idea what Ross did for fun when he was trapped here, but whatever it was, it made him violent.

"Why are you so violent?"

"Why are you so stupid?"

"Hey that's mean!"

"It's the truth."

"You're so mean!"

Grabbing a chunk of wood from the impressive pile along the wall, Ross tossed it at Alba, hitting him square on the head. It bounced off his head and landed with a thud on the floor.

"What the hell? Why do you always hit me?" Alba complained.

"Because it's fun."

"It's not fun for me!"

"Who cares about what you think?"

"I care about what I think!"

"I don't."

"You know what? I'm leaving. I don't have to deal with this."

Alba stormed off into the forest, upset and pissed off at Ross, the latter yelling a peppy bye after him as he left.

~.~

"I thought you said you had enough?" Ross asked.

Alba stood next to the door the following day, wondering himself why he returned. "It's because since I'm a hero, I took it upon myself to save you from this loneliness," Alba decided to say, puffing out his chest in pride.

Small chunks of wood hit and fell from his chest as Ross pelted him, his red eyes gazing at Alba in boredom.

"Remember that I am not a princess sealed on the top of a tower. I can take care of myself."

"I don't doubt it."

"Good. Why are you still here anyways?"

"I already told you."

Ross gave Alba an unbelieving stare as if he couldn't believe that someone could be so consistant that they were a hero, it later softened to one that suggested that he piety Alba's foolishness.

"What is with that look?" Alba yelled, shocked that Ross would look down at him.

Flopping on his bed and staring at the ceiling, Ross eventually asked, "So I'm just going to have to deal with you now huh?"

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

Ross shrugged, "Perhaps, perhaps not. I still don't know what to make of you."

"What is there to 'make of'?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that you literally broke my door down," Ross playfully complained, not sounding even mildly upset.

"Sorry about that."

"There is nothing we can do except fix the door now that it is broken."

Alba stared at the door awkwardly, "I don't know how to fix doors."

"Of course you don't. I'd be surprised if you actually knew how." Ross frowned, "Now that I think about it, I actually forgot- I don't remember exactly how to."

"You forgot, so that means you used to know how. How did you know how to fix doors?"

"Used to have a job involving fixing stuff, mostly furniture. That and another job."

Alba stared at Ross surprised. This was the first time Ross shared anything with Alba, and this made him feel as if they were close friends- the two casually exchanging stories as Alba was pretty sure close friends did. This feeling did not make any sense as they had knew each other for only a few days and knew nothing about each other. This feeling was even completely out of place as Alba didn't even like the abusive Ross.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Are you a pervert, Hero?"

"Huh? Like how?" Was Alba staring at Ross strangely? "Also I am not a pervert."

"... Nevermind. Just don't stare at me like that."

Alba averted his eyes to the kitchen, then shoot a brief confused glance at Ross- which Ross caught immediately. Alba let his eyes wander around the room, deep in thought. Why did he continue to visit Ross even though the guy proved to be a jerk? Was sympathy the main motive for his continuous visits or was it something else- something more?

"Are you actually thinking of something, Hero? Is this even possible?"

Ross' comment startled Alba, causing him to jump. He responded with, "Yes, it's possible for me to think. Everyone can think, you know."

"Oh, I don't know about everyone... I've meet people who can't think for themselves."

"Like who?" Alba asked, eager to try and pry some more information about Ross.

"People. You don't need to know any more than that."

"Why not?"

"Would you tell a complete stranger information about yourself?"

"You already have! You told me about a job you had."

"That is trivial matter. Something you usually tell people when you met them, nothing important."

"You do have a point."

Silence fell upon two until Alba's gaze fell upon the shard of wood Ross hit him with. He quickly scooped it up and tossed it at Ross, who was hit on the side of his head. Once Ross recovered by the brief shock, he picked up his own shard of wood- one significantly bigger and more likely heavier than the one Alba threw at Ross- he tossed in his hand for a bit, amusingly watching as Alba's eyes widened and he scrambled for cover. Even then, he was too late to find cover when Ross' new shard made impact with the back of Alba's head. Slightly dazed, he dragged the largest piece of wood he could find- one that looked like a table top- and made it his shield. He picked up the nearest shard he could find and tossed it at Ross. And so the two tossed wooden shards at each other, Ross dodging them while Alba used his makeshift shield to block the flying splinters. When the game ended, the two were laughing, Alba sprawled out on the ground and Ross sprawled on his bed. Giggles were shared even as Alba bid farewell and left for the evening.

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A/N: Yay! I got a new chappie out so proud. I hope you enjoyed it now that Ross made his appearance! Other characters will also appear, but that's all I have planned so we'll see what I will eventually come up with ^.^ Next chapter will be more development of Ross and Alba's relationship so you have that to look forward to :3 Also starting now I will have a question for you guys, which you can answer in a review or something just for fun and all. Keep in mind you don't have to answer if you don't want to I just want to know cause I'm nosey like that xD

Chapter question:

**What do you like to do with your friends (or people you're friendly with) other than talking?**


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